Well, other forum posts have said that in certain states new LEAFs have previously been available at just under $10k after all the tax breaks. So these seem about right. I suspect that standard-range electric cars are difficult to sell to most drivers as the limited range is an immediate concern, and a lot of people don't like to own a product/device that requires much thought/planning on their part in its use (planning use/journeys around recharging in this case), and secondly a lot of people don't understand the idea of paying more upfront to save over time (most people only think in the short term), so LEAFs end up having to be discounted to sell in volume. Which is then great for the thoughtful consumer who after consideration may well have been prepared to buy them at the higher price anyway.
If new price is $10k or $13.5k, I would still be looking at the used prices to see what can be saved on the $10k; f you will be using it as a local driving/ short/mid range commuter car a 2 or 3-year old leaf is hardly going to be any different provided it has reasonable battery condition, so if used can save $2 or $3k I'd likely do that.
Or if you plan to keep the car a long time and/or use it for longer journeys, consider whether the $3.5k step up for 50% more battery & range makes sense for you. The tax breaks for these vehicles sometimes seem to be so high that it's a rare occasion when new over used for a car may well make sense.
Though overall even with low US fuel prices, either of these LEAF options or a used one is going to (come close to) save more in fuel that its purchase cost if you're doing 10k miles a year or more.
